See what I mean? The one telling statistic is that I have been playing this game for a total of one entire work week. Others might say that the telling statistic is that even though I have played one entire work week, I still have a high score that could probably be called pedestrian. And by "others", I mean my wife, who has absolutely obliterated my highest score EVER on this fracking game.
My only possible defense here is simple—the developers of the iPhone version of the game are really nice! Think about it, you're playing your little game and make a few nifty moves when, all of a sudden, a deep, male (and genuinely sincere sounding) voice says things like "Excellent!" or "Incredible!". Now, you've just been validated for all of your hard "work". And it feels good. Therein lies the addiction. Not only is the gameplay maddeningly impossible to leave alone, but it builds up your (game-addiction depleted) self-esteem.
However, there are always caveats and gotchas to every feel good story. And Bejeweled Blitz has plenty. For one, Mr. Validation isn't always on my side. He's also somewhat finicky. Less than a minute after doling out the attaboys and accolades comes the alarms of impending doom. Right about this time, the same moves that received praise just moments before are met with cold silence. Sometimes, I think I can even sense a tinge of sarcasm in his voice when he is finally pressed into saying something—anything. I wouldn't be surprised to hear his "Incredible!" followed by a hushed "Even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while". Or "It's about time, monkey-boy".
Nevertheless, I play on. And will keep it up until Mr. Validation starts spewing outright insult at me. Who am I kidding? Even then, I'll still keep on playing. At least until I can best at least one of my wife's high scores on this stupid game...or even get just one more "Excellent!"
